MST3K
Advertisement
MST3K
MST3K
3,182
pages
in: MST3K Episodes, Season 3, Directed by Jim Mallon

MST3K 305 - Stranded in Space

Sign in to edit

“ Sir, why aren’t the Landers sisters in this meeting? ”


The Movie[]

Main article: Stranded in Space (film)

Synopsis[]

An astronaut finds himself stranded on a parallel Earth, pursued by agents of the oppressive government that controls society.

The Episode[]

Host Segments[]

Prologue: Joel turns the Bots into a shooting gallery.

Invention Exchange (Segment One): The SOL gang and the Mads go back and forth with variations of the old "BANG!" flag gun, like an Uzi, dynamite, nunchucks and Bowie knife.

Segment Two: The Bots fight over their "Topper's TV Trading Cards".

StrandedSpaceTradingCards

The Bots fight over their "Topper's TV Trading Cards"

Segment Three: Tom makes cookies, Crow has a nightmare, and they discuss Ward E.

Segment Four: Evil mastermind Joel and his hench-Bots plots to destroy all of television's famous detectives.

Segment Five: Joel and Crow try to sell Stranded in Space to movie mogul Tom, and the Mads ponder the similarities between mad science and show business.

StrandedCookiesNightmares

Crow has nightmares while Servo makes cookies

Stinger: Stryker gets slapped.

Obscure References[]

  • "Is Don Martin working with you now?"
Dr. Forester mocks the onomatopoeia of Joel's invention exchange as if it were aided by the late cartoonist Don Martin, whose contributions to Mad Magazine frequently featured newly-coined onomatopoetic captions.
  • "Shrinky Dinks!"
Small colorful objects are riffed as resembling Shrinky Dinks, a Milton Bradley toy that was popular in the 70s and 80s.
  • "Uh-oh, three on a transporter..."
A popular superstition about "three on a match" holds that the third person to light his cigarette from the same lit match as two other people is destined for bad luck or even death.
  • "Seen through the eyes of Yul Brenner in Westworld."
The pixelated credits are riffed as the point-of-view shots belonging to actor Yul Brenner's character The Gunslinger in the 1973 film Westworld.
  • "I think I see Charles Foster Kane's sled in there." "In Xanadu."
Servo references the snow globe featured in the 1941 classic movie Citizen Kane.
Crow riffs the catchphrase of comedian Al Franken, who repeated this self-promoting phrase during segments in the Weekend Update portion of the late-night sketch comedy TV series Saturday Night Live during the late 1970s and 80s.
  • "Tim Conway, Dorf in Space?"
Joel mis-reads a credit as being the late comic actor Tim Conway, who produced a series of direct-to-video comic shorts featuring a character named Dorf.
  • "I can't stop it, I don't know how it works, g-bye, folks!"
Joel riffs a scientist clumsily falling into his own invention by quoting the farewell of Professor Marvel, aka The Wizard, from The Wizard of Oz.
  • "It's I Dream of Jeannie!"
The crudely-animated space capsule is compared to the opening credits of TV sitcom I Dream of Jeannie.
  • "We're having Ray Bolger practice."
The astronauts' seizures are riffed as resembling the antics of the character Scarecrow, portrayed by the late actor Ray Bolger, in The Wizard of Oz.
  • "Steve Austin."
Neil Stryker quite resembles character Steve Austin, portrayed by actor Lee Majors, in the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man.
  • "I want Rockford in my office!...oh." "I want Mannix!"
Benedict's rage is riffed by a comparison to TV series The Rockford Files character Sgt. Dennis Becker regularly demanding to have private eye Jim Rockford brought in for questioning. Likewise the titular character on the TV series Mannix would have regular contact with the Los Angeles Police Department.
  • "Attention, all personnel, tonight's movie will be Stranded in Space starring Dorothy Lamour."
A shot of a desk microphone prompts Servo to imitate the regular public address system announcements in the TV series M*A*S*H. Dorothy Lamour was an American actress and singer whose films were often played to soldiers during wartime.
  • "...I have a Tony Orlando..."
A telephone operator not recognizing the city of Orlando is riffed with a mention of American singer-songwriter Tony Orlando.
  • "Florida? She's in Good Times!"
A telephone operator not recognizing the state of Florida is riffed with a mention of the character Florida, portrayed by the late actress Esther Rolle, in the TV sitcom Good Times.
  • "It puts the lotion on its skin."
As Stryker accepts a lift from a stranger in a van, Crow quotes villain Buffalo Bill from the 1991 film The Silence of the Lambs.
  • "They should look like Jackie Gleason!"
A Terran not understanding what seems strange about the sight of 3 moons is riffed by a mention of the late actor Jackie Gleason, whose caricature was superimposed on an image of the Moon during credits for the TV series The Honeymooners.
  • "They're in the Brady house!"
An interior shot is compared to the layout of the home of the Brady family in the TV sitcom The Brady Bunch.
  • "Boy, is that guy square!"
Joel stands and gestures the making of a square shape, riffing animated TV sitcom The Flintstones episode "The Girls' Night Out", where Fred's stardom is cut short by the spreading of rumors his persona Hi-Fye is uncool, punctuated by the gesture of drawing a square in the air.
  • "EEE-Yeeeeeeeeesssss?"
Catchphrase of the never-named characters portrayed by actor Frank Nelson on The Jack Benny Program, typically salespeople or clerks. The character was exceedingly unctuous and often rude to Jack Benny.
  • "That's not a Tiffany lamp, it's a Debbie Gibson."
Joel riffs the stained glass lampshade as not being a Tiffany lamp (which inspired cheap imitations) by referencing 1980s pop superstars Tiffany Darwish (who was professionally known by the mononym Tiffany) and Debbie Gibson.
  • "Like a made-for-TV Charles Grodin." "It would be so nice if we weren't here."
Benedict is riffed as resembling the late comedic actor Charles Grodin, who published an autobiography entitled It Would Be So Nice if You Weren't Here - My Journey Through Show Business.
  • "They're all poppies!"
Tom is mimicking the voice of the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wizard of Oz, who created a field of poppies in an attempt to keep Dorothy and her companions from reaching the Emerald City.
  • "God, you're ugly..."
A slight re-working of a line from the TV sitcom Fawlty Towers. Basil Fawlty plays up a head injury he suffered by openly insulting a nurse in the episode "The Germans".
  • "He's got a Botany 500 ad to do."
Botany 500 is a line of upscale menswear. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s they sponsored several TV talk shows and game shows, for which they also provided the hosts' wardrobe.
  • "Switcher!"
In the film Mannequin (starring Kim Cattrall), the main character is a young man named Johnathan Switcher who works at a department store. His antics gain him the ire of the head of security, who would yell his last name in outrage.
  • "Oh no, they killed Snuggles!"
Snuggles is a cute plush toy bear that is the mascot for Snuggle brand fabric softener.
  • "I'm THX 1138, who are you?"
Servo riffs Bettina's introduction by referencing the 1971 dystopian sci-fi film THX 1138, also the name-designation of the protagonist.
  • "Good thing they have The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'s computers."
Terran computers look suspiciously copied from the fictional spy TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E..
  • "Attention, Kmart shoppers, the blue light is flashing."
Now-defunct retail giant Kmart stores would feature temporary floor sales and alert customers via public address announcements to find such "Blue Light Specials" at a flashing blue beacon somewhere in the store.
  • "Cops is filmed on location in this guy's yard.”
Professor MacAuley is seen slopping pigs, a common derogatory slang for police officers. Cops is an American TV reality program that chronicles the lives of law enforcement officers.
  • "Oscar, I brought another infidel to see you."
On the TV series The Six Million Dollar Man, Steve Austin's boss was Oscar Goldberg.
  • "You were very good in The Crucible at Circle Rep."
Circle Repertory Company was a famous New York City theatre company that launched many celebrities' careers. The Crucible is a fictionalized play about the Salem Witch Trials by American playwright Arthur Miller.
  • "Sounds like Thylvethter."
Servo compares the spittle-ridden speech of Benedict to Looney Tunes cartoon character Sylvester the Cat, voiced by the late Mel Blanc, who spoke with a pronounced speech impediment that turned the letter "s" into "th".
  • "It's two, two, two Earths in one."
Joel quotes the slogan for Certs breath mints and does a fist bump with Crow in homage to Certs' TV commercials.
  • "...and so on, and so on..."
Quotes the slogan of a 1984 Fabergé Organics Shampoo TV commercial featuring Heather Locklear.
  • "It’s Out of This World with Donna Pescow and Doug McClure."
Out of This World was an American TV fantasy sitcom about a half-alien teenage girl. It is coincidentally the name of a short featured in episode MST3K 618 - High School Big Shot.
  • "The Rick Dees Show renewed again. I don't get it."
Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 is an internationally syndicated radio program that debuted in 1983 and is currently still in production.
  • "The Time Tunnel, in color." (whistling)
The opening hallway shot of Ward E is compared to sci-fi TV series The Time Tunnel. Crow provides a sound effect.
  • "So, I hear they're filming Get Smart on this set."
Ward E's futuristic look resembles the headquarters of CONTROL on the TV series Get Smart.
  • "Are they ground controlled?" "To Major Tom?"
A reference to lyrics in the song Space Oddity by David Bowie.
  • "I was a beat poet, hung around with Bill Burroughs and the gang." "Now let's go have some naked lunch."
Naked Lunch is a 1959 nonlinear novel that depicts the abuse of drugs such as heroin, subsequently becoming a slang term for the same. Its author, the late William S. Burroughs, was considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and also struggled with drug addiction.
  • "She makes love just like a woman..." "Well said."
Alien Bettina's farewell is riffed by a rendition of the popular song Just Like a Woman by Bob Dylan.
  • "...and now back to Colossus: The Forbin Project."
A not-so-futuristic guard crossing is compared to 1970 sci-fi thriller film Colossus: The Forbin Project.
  • "This is really strict security to get your film from a Fotomat."
Crow riffs the not-so-futuristic guard house as similar to a Fotomat drive-up kiosk.
  • "Professor?" "Mary Anne?"
A reference to characters on the classic TV sitcom Gilligan's Island.
  • "Bettina!" "You're covered in a light patina!"
A patina is a thin layer that forms on metals like copper and brass as they age.
  • "Dear Mom, I hate Camp Granada."
References the lyrical content of the comedy song Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh (A Letter from Camp).
  • "Please try to understand." "He's a magic man."
A reference to lyrics of the hit song Magic Man by rock group Heart.
  • "You been hanging out with Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics?"
The late Wendy O. Williams was an American singer who fronted the punk rock band Plasmatics, and at times shaved the side of her head into a mohawk hairstyle.
  • "We're in Who-ville all of a sudden."
An alarm klaxon is compared to the noises made by inhabitants of the fictional town of Whoville in the 1954 story Horton Hears a Who!.
  • This is just like the ending of Killdozer!, cool!"
Crow riffs the deus-ex-machina setup for the finale as akin to the 1974 sci-fi horror movie Kildozer!.
  • "The Rat Patrol, in color."
Scrambling goons are riffed as belonging in the 1960s TV series The Rat Patrol.
  • "Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right, here I am, stuck in a made-for-TV movie." "With you."
Stryker glances left and right, prompting a pastiche of the hit song Stuck in the Middle with You by Scottish pop band Stealers Wheel.
  • "Prepare to meet Kali, in hell!"
The slow advance of goons on a catwalk is compared to the climax of 1984 film Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
  • "Next week on MacGuyver."
Stryker improvises an escape by shooting at a liquid oxygen tank, similar to ingenuity regularly shown on the TV series MacGuyver. The titular character disliked guns and never shot a firearm at humans.
  • "Krakatoa, East of Java, check it out."
Joel riffs the flaming hulk of the launch base as resembling the erupting volcano in the 1968 disaster film Krakatoa, East of Java.
  • "Nothing up my sleeve." - Crow "Again?" - Joel
Benedict's shirt sleeve has been torn off, akin to cartoon character Bullwinkle J. Moose's antics in bumpers for featured cartoons on the TV series The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Friends.
  • "My name is Luka, I live on the second floor."
A reference to the song Luka by American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega about a victim of child abuse, although it is frequently interpreted as referring to spousal abuse.
  • "Toward Stephen Cannell's house."
The late Stephen Cannell was the producer of a number of 70s and 80s TV dramas, most notably The Rockford Files, Quincy ME, The A-Team, Baretta, Hardcastle and McCormick, etc. The joke is in keeping with the episode's repeated references to 70s TV shows of the Quinn Martin variety.
  • "You know, they're getting better with these holy-grams."
Pixelated ending credits are mocked by referencing comedy group The Firesign Theater's 1971 album I Think We're All Bozos on This Bus, which follows protagonist Clem as he interacts with holograms that are called "holy-grams".
  • "Music by Kraftwerk." "Fun, fun, fun, in the Autobahn."
The ending credits soundtrack is riffed as akin to the 1974 album Autobahn by German electronic band Kraftwerk.

Callbacks[]

Memorable Quotes[]

  • "The Perfect Order." Servo: "Burger, fries and a shake."
  • "This must be Terra's Funniest Home Videos." - Joel
  • "It's the Miss Alternate Universe Pageant!" - Servo
  • "How can puppets oppose...?" Crow: "I resent that!" Servo: "Me too!"
  • "Neil." Crow: "Kneel? Oh, my name." (Bettina and Stryker stand face to face)
  • An obvious location shot from an LA neighborhood is cascade riffed:
"They must have used the same production designer from Bladerunner."
"The influence of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis is apparent in every frame."
"Well, they kind of remind me of Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, there’s a real kind of surrealistic visionary Eraserhead quality, see those shrubberies…"

Behind the Scenes[]

MST3K Cast[]

Notes[]

  • Joel explains the premise of the series, this time adding some details that had not previously been established and would not be referred to again. He says, "As you can tell by the opening the Mads made…" and also says the Mads "sell the results to cable TV." 
  • Part of the joke of Host Segment Two seems to be that most of the TV series mentioned were never made into trading cards (with the exception being Welcome Back, Kotter). A trading card set of Columbo villains would presumably include the characters played by several actors who have appeared in movies used on Mystery Science Theater 3000. "Topper's TV Trading Cards" is a play on the famous trading card company Topps.
  • Joel says "Can't wear costumes in the movie, it's not allowed."
  • Bob King worked as an audio technician for this one episode. 
  • At the end of the film, when a character introduces himself as Tom Nelson, Tom Servo can be heard faintly saying "Mike Nelson".
  • In the final host segment The Mads are dressed like elites of The Perfect Order, strangely sporting visible lapel microphones.

Goofs[]

  • When demonstrating the Bang Uzi and the Bang Nunchuks, Joel and Frank visibly struggle to get the sound effect banners to deploy.
  • The dynamite plunger breaks in Frank's hand.
  • During Stryker's escape Joel references the left-handed handshake early in the film by shouting "Yeah? Well here's a left-handed one!", yet Stryker fires his gun right-handed.
  • In the ending segment, Tom says "letter latey."

Video Releases[]

Strandedinspacedvd

MST3K DVD Cover

Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.
More Fandoms
Advertisement